


0001

by mildlydiscouraging



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Epistolary, Is It a Red Herring or a Loose End or the Actual Solution? You Decide, M/M, Time is Weird, Transdimensional Dating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-04-02 21:05:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4073827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mildlydiscouraging/pseuds/mildlydiscouraging
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>SENDER</b>: carlos87@gmail.com<br/><b>RECIPIENT</b>: thevoice@nvcr.gov<br/><b>SUBJECT</b>: time (?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	0001

**Author's Note:**

> written pre- _voicemail_ , so all that stuff about going through the dog park was. not an option at the time.
> 
> also i'm still completely obsessed with _orange grove_ and the fact that somewhere out there theres still a fucking key in a fucking orange to a fucking door like ??? wtnv doesnt do loose ends. i dont trust it.
> 
> but mostly i'm just a sucker for epistolary fic so. i caved.

02/04/15, 12:23.  
SIX DAYS, ZERO HOURS, ELEVEN MINUTES

_BEEP_

"Me again. I know, we just talked, like, two seconds ago, but I figured out what I was trying to explain. It's the semantics of the thing. Steve didn't mean to offend you, he never does, he was just wondering how you were doing. Everyone listens to your show, Cecil, they all know about the auction and my being here. As much as you hate to admit it, Steve is your family. And family cares. You're lucky he does, Cec, they don't always.

"And anyways, at least do it for Janice. You love her, don't you? You'd want Janice to be happy or at least content. Can't Steve feel the same toward you?"

•••

02/04/15, 14:48.  
FIVE DAYS, TWENTY-ONE HOURS, FORTY-SIX MINUTES

_BUZZ_

<picture attached, file corrupted>

look at this rock i just found that looks kind of like khoshekh. doesnt float like he used to, but it has the same spikes and everything. your wood carvings are still cuter but. pretty cute.

•••

02/04/15, 22:43  
FIVE DAYS, THIRTEEN HOURS, FIFTY-ONE MINUTES

 **SENDER** : carlos87@gmail.com  
**RECIPIENT** : thevoice@nvcr.gov  
**SUBJECT** : re: another shape in mission grove park?

... and, speaking of children, how is Earl doing? I was listening to your show the other day and he was on for his cooking segment, but he seemed really off, even more so than usual. It must be hard to turn from teenager to middle-aged father so quickly, I hope he's adjusting well. Maybe you could ask if he wanted to talk to me about it? After all, if anyone here is qualified to talk about coping with the abnormality of time, it would probably be me.

So about the fog in the produce section at the Ralph's. I was thinking it might have to do with ...

•••

03/04/15, 10:24  
FIVE DAYS, TWO HOURS, TEN MINUTES

_BEEP_

"Hey babe, it's me. So you know how time is really weird? How it’s only a concept based on our perceptions of change and therefore turns really weird when you become aware of it? Well, this isn't one of those things. 

"My watch, the cheap plastic one I got at the Ralph's a while back, has started running backwards, which isn't that strange in and of itself. Weird things happen to watches here, I've gathered, and normally it just counts up to twelve and back down again every twelve hours or so. Sometimes it wavers briefly, but I think that's because the batteries were low when I got here. 

"No, the strange part is that it seems to be counting down to something. Instead of the normal hours-colon-minutes format, it just says 'five days, two hours, and eight minutes', with the seconds counting down much faster than I can read them. Just wondering if the same thing is happening to you over there, that's all! You know, multiple test results to make sure it isn't a fluke. Bye! I love you!"

•••

03/04/15, 13:02.  
FOUR DAYS, TWENTY-THREE HOURS, THIRTY-TWO MINUTES

_BUZZ_

officially have netflix working again, call me after work? we can finally watch the second episode of daredevil together. it looks really good + u know how much i love backstory

•••

03/04/15, 22:31.  
FOUR DAYS, FOURTEEN HOURS, THREE MINUTES

 **SENDER** : carlos87@gmail.com  
**RECIPIENT** : thevoice@nvcr.gov  
**SUBJECT** : the permanence of the past

One of the things I love the most about our relationship is how well-documented it is, what with how you recorded almost every part of it on the show. Before you ask, no, this isn't a scientist thing. I think it’s just a Carlos thing, but that's besides the point. Every important part of our relationship is recorded on that radio, so even when we are both gone, maybe some part of our love will live on. Another part I love is the "secret" (relatively speaking) things that stay between us. As much as I love being able to look back on those memories, I love the ones left out just as much.

So much love,  
Carlos

•••

04/04/15, 09:30.  
FOUR DAYS, THREE HOURS, FOUR MINUTES

_BEEP_

"I'm listening to the show and Cecil. Stop running headfirst into danger. I know it's part of your nature, or your upbringing in Night Vale, or some sort of journalistic urge to find the truth, which I do partially understand, but please. Stay safe. I really don't know what to do without you right now, but I can only imagine it would get that much worse if you were really hurt or gone or something. At least think about it before you run at the newest danger. Take care of yourself. I mean it."

•••

04/04/15, 12:52.  
THREE DAYS, TWENTY-THREE HOURS, FORTY-TWO MINUTES

_BEEP_

"Me again. Have you ever gotten an email from the faceless old woman who secretly lives in our home? Because I think I just did. I mean, it sounds like her, the same kind of words and phrases she would use, but I'm not sure. Whenever I try to focus on the sender's address, everything feels very hazy and almost infinitesimally small and hollow. So I guess it’s kind of the same feeling as when she's in the room.

"She said some pretty interesting stuff though, a lot about Dana and the attacks on her, so maybe it'll help with your Lot 37 investigation. I know it’s something you need to do on your own and I respect that and all, but if there's any way I can help, I will. Call me back when you get this."

•••

04/04/15, 22:34.  
THREE DAYS, FOURTEEN HOURS, ZERO MINUTES

 **SENDER** : carlos87@gmail.com  
**RECIPIENT** : thevoice@nvcr.gov  
**SUBJECT** : time (?)

There are places in this desert that seem to have started being affected by time. Pretty much everywhere is as stagnant as usual, including the lab, and nothing decays or advances here just the same as it did when I first arrived, but there are a few places: under the shadow of the big cliff, the base of the mountain, outside of Alisha and Doug's tent. In one of these such places, my watch completely stopped, which it hasn't done once in all my time here. While time around me stops, my watch keeps ticking, but when it moves on, the opposite happens? I don't know either.

Mostly I'm afraid that if time starts moving here, I'll have to accept how long it’s been since I last saw you. I don't want to think about that. Help me forget?

Love,  
Carlos

•••

05/04/15, 04:07.  
THREE DAYS, EIGHT HOURS, TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES

_BEEP_

"I miss you. We last talked only four minutes ago but I miss you. I made one of the rocks that makes up my ceiling here removable so I could watch the stars pass overhead as I pretend to sleep, just like you said, and I miss you. Do you think we're looking at the same stars right now? I hope so."

•••

05/04/15, 11:40.  
THREE DAYS, ZERO HOURS, FIFTY-FOUR MINUTES

_BEEP_

"This isn't going to be a long message, but I know you'd get mad at me if I didn't tell you right away. I am standing in front of a door. Not one that Alisha made out of stone for the houses here, although their work is magnificent. No, I am standing in front of a door made of  _wood_. Oak to be exact. 

"Last night I had a dream I was wandering among the sand dunes, following some strange glow from a dust storm ahead. Soon the storm engulfed me and I couldn't see anything, but I kept stumbling until I came across something very real and solid. It shielded me briefly from the sand and wind, and I lay down in it until I fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.

"But then I woke up and saw it wasn't a dream at all! The door is right here, and I can see the light I was following shining through the keyhole, and it's real. I don't know how to open it, since every time I try to touch the door handle it gets very hot and scalds my hand. I'm going to continue trying to get through, but I just wanted to update you. A door! Okay, going now, love you."

•••

05/04/15, 12:16.  
THREE DAYS, ZERO HOURS, EIGHTEEN MINUTES

_BUZZ_

the hotter it gets out here, the more the door smells like lemons. oranges? idk some kind of citrus, u know how terrible my sense of smell is

•••

05/04/15, 12:22.  
THREE DAYS, ZERO DAYS, TWELVE MINUTES

_BUZZ_

ok definitely orange. it smells like those scones steve made for us last christmas. i know u said u hated them, but they were really good. mmm scones....

•••

05/04/15, 22:14.  
TWO DAYS, FOURTEEN HOURS, TWENTY MINUTES

 **SENDER** : carlos87@gmail.com  
**RECIPIENT** : thevoice@nvcr.gov  
**SUBJECT** : i dont mean to sound optimistic, but...

I've been working on the door all day and I think I might have found something. I don't know for certain, but if I'm right, I might be home by our anniversary. I'd tell you to not get too excited, but I know by now you're probably far past the point of no return. 

Here's what I've gathered about the door so far: the surface of it is  _hot_ , even at night. The smell was orange, by the way, Doug confirmed it (apparently they had come across a bunch some time ago, probably from the fake John Peters (you know, the farmer?)'s farm). Every time I come near it, time seems to slow down. It's hard to tell, being in a place that already operates strangely in time, but if I hold my watch close to the wood it starts moving very slowly, even with its already weird timekeeping. When I leave, however, it goes back to "normal", relatively speaking. It also starts vibrating strangely. Not like the normal buzzing of the alarm, its more subtle and steady. I don't know what any of this means yet, but I'm trying to find out.

Anyways, so I haven't been able to open it yet, but I feel a tad bit hopeful. I'm making progress, I can feel it ...

•••

06/04/15, 13:45.  
ONE DAY, TWENTY-TWO HOURS, FORTY-NINE MINUTES

_BEEP_

"We're stuck trying to communicate through voicemails again, which I hate, but your watch started counting backwards too? Next time you call, I  _promise_ I'll pick up so we can compare countdowns. The universe works in strange ways, I know, but this seems too strange to be a coincidence. That casual optimism is bubbling up again, so I should go before I boil over and start ranting about how much I love and miss you. I love and miss you a lot, though, just to be clear. Talk to you soon."

•••

06/04/15, 14:08.  
ONE DAY, TWENTY-TWO HOURS, TWENTY-SIX MINUTES

_BUZZ_

ok but, scientifically speaking, i still love u more. by a lot. like, immeasurably a lot.

•••

06/04/15, 16:12.  
ONE DAY, TWENTY HOURS, TWENTY-TWO MINUTES

_BEEP_

"I'mremembering what you said about not getting too caught up in my work and as exciting as this whole door thing is, I miss just talking to you normally. There must be so many things I'm missing out on in Night Vale right now. Wasn't Street Cleaning Day last week? I heard a broadcast about it, but it might've been out of time. So many things here are.

"I miss our normal lives, as abnormal as they were. I miss visiting you at the station during lunch and bringing Khoshekh with me so he can visit the kittens, I miss movie nights, I miss going to Janice's school plays and arguing over what kind of pasta to make for dinner and falling asleep at the table only to wake up when you come home and I have to convince you not to carry me to bed. I miss it. But tell me about your day, I want to know every moment so it's like I'm there with you."

•••

06/04/15, 22:34.  
ONE DAY, FOURTEEN HOURS, ZERO MINUTES

 **SENDER** : carlos87@gmail.com  
**RECIPIENT** : thevoice@nvcr.gov  
**SUBJECT** : t-minus one day, seventeen hours, give or take

If what I've studied holds true (which, granted, it very seldom does), the door is giving way.

I know, I'll give you a couple minutes to freak out. (I did too, when I first figured it out.)

When I first discovered the door in my sleepwalking state, I wasn't fully prepared. Only in my pajamas, I didn't have any of my equipment or even my notebook or pen, which is one thing I love about being over here, having pens and writing utensils again. So when I tried to open it, nothing happened.

But when I came back later with all my stuff, that's when I first started noticing how the door was affecting my watch. The strange countdown thing it started doing a couple days ago stopped. It just. Stopped. It started slowing down as I approached the door and when I touched the door, the countdown froze and the door... Well, it looked like the door was  _bending_. I don't know how, but the surface looked like it was warped, but not the way wood normally looks warped. When I touched the knob, it  _moved_. Only the tiniest bit, but it turned more than it did when I originally tried it.

I came back later, just to make sure, and it did the same thing, this time turning the slightest bit more. I think it has something to do with the countdown, because the lower the number gets, the more and more the doorknob turns.

Cec... I think this is it.

•••

06/04/15, 23:49.  
ONE DAY, TWELVE HOURS, FORTY-FIVE MINUTES

_BUZZ_

as exciting as this is, u need 2 go to sleep. btw dont forget to water the plants in the morning. i love you.

•••

07/04/15, 09:45.  
ONE DAY, TWO HOURS, FORTY-NINE MINUTES

_BEEP_

"Cecil, I get it, okay? One more day. One more day til whatever it is happens. I'm excited too, but I'm trying not to think about it and all your texts aren't helping. Relax, babe. Whatever it is is going to happen regardless of what we do, so you just focus on reporting and I'll focus on sciencing. I know for a fact that you're supposed to be working right now, so stop texting me and focus on the show. And if you _really_ need to get rid of some nervous energy, maybe you could try looking for the door on your end during your lunch break? I love you, talk to you soon. Bye."

•••

07/04/15, 10:20.  
ONE DAY, TWO HOURS, FOURTEEN MINUTES

_BUZZ_

<picture attached, file corrupted>

doorknob turns almost 180 degrees now. progress!! have u figured out where the door could b on your end yet? lemme know when u do

•••

07/04/15, 11:11.  
ONE DAY, ONE HOUR, TWENTY-THREE MINUTES

_BUZZ_

make a wish.

•••

07/04/15, 11:12.  
ONE DAY, ONE HOUR, TWENTY-TWO MINUTES

_BUZZ_

ur not supposed to tell me ur wish, cecil!! shhhhh :)

•••

07/04/15, 22:30.  
ZERO DAYS, FOURTEEN HOURS, FOUR MINUTES

 **SENDER** : carlos87@gmail.com  
**RECIPIENT** : thevoice@nvcr.gov  
**SUBJECT** : distractions

... I'm glad to hear that Khoshekh is fine, I was worried for a while there. Slightly crippling helplessness is not a new feeling to me, but its still an unpleasant one. I know how important he is to you, especially since I'm... not there right now. Comfort is important, I understand as well as anyone, and I wish I could physically be there for you right now. At least Khoshekh can. (And, if I'm being honest, he's rubbed off on me quite a bit too.  I'm really glad he's okay.)

Other things to talk about besides the thing, hmm. Today I helped Alisha work on the observatory we're building on top of the cliff overlooking our little settlement. They already built the building itself, which was very impressive for just one person (but then again, Alisha is an already impressive person), so all they needed me to do was help with the telescope. We spent all day collecting glass from the dunes, bringing them back to the observatory so Alisha could melt them back into the single sheet of curved glass we needed for the telescope. While they were working, they told me all sorts of stories of their travels with Doug and the other masked warriors. I wrote some of them down so maybe you could share them with your listeners later? If you want to, I mean.

I can already hear you telling me that "of course I want to,  _Carlos_ ", and even though I still miss you so much, it hurts a little less than usual. It's almost like you're right here. Almost. 

One day, eighteen hours, seven minutes, and forty seconds. Thirty-nine seconds. Thirty-eight seconds.

Love,  
Carlos

•••

08/04/15, 08:45.  
ZERO DAYS, THREE HOURS, FORTY-NINE MINUTES

_BEEP_

"I thought I might be able to catch you before you left for work, but you must've gone out early. It's not Armory Day, is it? Night Vale holidays are so hard to keep track of...

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, I'm bringing all my equipment and stuff down to the door today. I still don't know what's going to happen, but at least this way I'll be able to record more details and find out exactly what's going on down here. Already I've found it's hotter here than the surrounding desert, by around three degrees centigrade. Also, time isn't really moving differently here, the door seems to only affect my watch. There's a lock above the doorknob too, which I only just realized, and I suppose that could complicate things if it's locked. We'll see. So far that's all I've been able to tell, but I'll keep you updated."

•••

08/04/15, 10:50.  
ZERO DAYS, ONE HOUR, FORTY-FOUR MINUTES

_BEEP_

"Voicemail again, oh well. It's gotten a lot hotter here in the past couple hours, enough so that I've had to take off my lab coat. I hate not wearing my lab coat, I feel vulnerable, but it's just so. It's so hot here, Cecil.

"Doug came by to visit earlier. He told me he had been on patrol when he and some of the other masked warriors saw another tribe in the distance. They're on the far side of the desert, but the door is between us and them. Doug said that it would be better if I stayed back at the encampment, but I can't leave here. I just  _know_ this is where it's happening. I  _know_ it, and that's so exciting I can't even begin to explain it."

•••

08/04/15, 12:31.  
ZERO DAYS, ZERO HOURS, TWO MINUTES

_BEEP_

"I promised myself I wouldn't call anymore, really I did, but the anticipation is just too much and it's killing me. Two minutes!

"I know it's mostly unfounded, and you should never make an unfounded assumption, especially in Night Vale where just by expecting things to happen you can guarantee that they don't, but I can just  _feel_ it. Intuition has never been my strong suit, but this just makes sense. I know that the countdown is going to reach zero and I'm going to open that door and you are going to be on the other side. I just know it.

"One minute left. Now I'm holding my phone in one hand and the doorknob in the other. It is so much hotter out here than it was this morning, and it was hot enough then without standing in the sun for hours. The doorknob is burning the inside of my hand and it smells very strongly of oranges now. I don't know where you've been all day, but I hope you're okay. I hope everything is okay. I hope, more than anything.

"My watch is now only on seconds and- wait. Something is turning the doorknob from the other side? I never really thought about there being someone else on the other side. Is this what the watch was really counting down to? Well, let's find out. Five, four, three, two, one-

"... Hey you."

_ZERO DAYS, ZERO HOURS, ZERO MINUTES_

**ONE SECOND**

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading!! i hope u enjoyed, its kind of a new way of writing for me + more ambiguous than im used to, but working outside ur comfort zone and all that
> 
> tumblr @[moonfullofstars](http://moonfullofstars.tumblr.com)


End file.
